Renal cell carcinoma (RCC), also often identified as renal cancer, “hypernephroma”, or adenocarcinoma of the kidney accounts for about 85 percent of all primary renal neoplasms. Approximately 25,000 new cases are diagnosed annually with 10,000 deaths in the United States. Unfortunately, the prognosis of patients with recurrent or metastatic renal cell carcinoma remains poor. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy have little or no activity in this disease and there is no standard chemotherapeutic, hormonal, or immunologic program for recurrent or metastatic renal cancer.
Commonly employed chemotherapy programs include the use of vinblastine sulfate, with or without the use of nitrosoureas. Interferons have been used with very limited success. Interleukin 2 (Aldesleukin) is approved for treatment of selected patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. An overall response rate of 15 percent has been noted in 255 patients, but this has been accompanied by both severe adverse reactions and a few treatment-related deaths. Other treatment options for patients with advanced disease are, at best, investigational.